Patent GB-699827-A (GB)
Title: Power means for folding shirts
IPC: D06F89/02
Filed: 1951-02-05
Abstract: ,699,827. Folding shirts after ironing. AMERICAN LAUNDRY MACHINERY CO. Feb. 5, 1951. No. 2837/51. Class 138 (ii). Shirt folding means adapted to be superposed on a shirt to be folded comprises a pair of folding wings 33, 34 hinged to folding arms 35, 36 which are themselves hinged to a table top 20 or to a plate member 37 which is pivotally mounted ona transverse shaft 38, and power operated means for folding and unfolding the wings and arms. Folding arms and wings. The folding means includes a pair of chains 50 and 51 running on sprockets 52, 53 and 54, 55 carried by a swing- able carrier 56 depending from the plate member 37. Upper sprocket 54 is free on a hinge pin 57 and is integral with another sprocket 58 connected by a chain 95 to' a sprocket 60 which is free on a hinge pin 61. An abutment finger 62 is integral with sprocket 60 and in idle position depends as shown in Fig. 3. Thus finger 62 has to be rotated through 90 degrees before it starts to rotate wing 34. During this time wing 33 is being rotated by means of chain 50 which rotates a compound sprocket 63 free on a stub shaft 64, thereby turning a sprocket 65 through a chain 66. Sprocket 65 is secured to an extension 67 of wing 33, so that wing 33 rotates with sprocket 65. The chains 50, 15 are driven by an air motor 70, whose piston rod 76 carries a cross arm 77 fixedly connected to chain 51 and connected to chain 50 through a lost motion link 73. This comprises an L-shaped lever 79 (Fig. 10) pivoted at 80 between spaced side walls 78. In the position shown in Fig. 10, to which the lever is biased by a spring clip 81, no lost motion occurs but when the short leg 79a contacts a trip 82 on the frame 56 the leg 79b is swung outwardly and the cross arm 77 moves downwardly without imparting further movement to the chain 50. Flipper arms. The shirt sleeves are folded around the wings 33, 34 by means of a pair of flipper arms 43, 44 swingable in bearings 45 on the wings 33, 34. The flipper arms are flipped over against the wings by an upward thrust of levers 115, 116 pivoted beneath the table 20 (Fig. 16) and connected to the piston rod 118 of a small air motor 119. In the unfolding operation the flipper arms are returned to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 16 by means of push rods 128, 128a which extend through aligned apertures in the table and wings 33, 34 but can be withdrawn by means of air motors 124, 125 (Figs. 16, 17). In a modification (Fig. 18, not shown) the flipper arms are pivoted on the table top itself and returned to unfolded condition by a spring which renders the return means 128 &c. unnecessary. Collar form and frame release means. The table 20 has a centrally disposed collar form 23 (Fig. 2) which is contracted by depressing a pedal 27 (Fig. 1) carried by a lever 26 pivoted at 28, against the action of a spring 30. A lever 24 for operating the collar form is connected to the lever 26 by a tie rod 25. When the pedal 27 is almost fully depressed the other end of the lever 26 engages a pin 111 on a lever 108 pivoted at 109 and rocks it against the action of a spring 110. One end of lever 108 is notched and engages with the frame 56 to hold the folding members on the table until the lever 108 is rocked, when a spring 112 swings the frame to a position in which the folding members are in the inclined position shown in chain lines in Fig. 1. Operation. Starting with the wings and arms folded and inclined upwardly, a shirt is laid on the table, button side down, the foot pedal 27 is depressed and the collar dressed over its form 23. The pedal is then released, and a cardboard stiffener may be placed on the shirt. The operator pushes down the folded wings &c. until the lever 108 snaps into engagement with frame 56. The operator then pushes an air valve button 132 (Fig. 17) to open a valve 133 and admit air under pressure to the lower end of the motor 70. The cross arm 77 is thus raised and the chains 50, 51 operated to unfold the wings 33, 34 and arms 35, 36. When the flipper arms strike the upwardly extending push rods 128, 128a, they are swung over to their unfolded position, on top of the shirt sleeves. The shirt sleeves are now placed over the outer portions of the flipper arms and an ''S" fold made in the tail portion of the shirt. The operator presses a button 136 on a valve 135 to admit air to the top ends of motors 124, 125 to withdraw the push rods 128, 128a to below table level. Air is also admitted to motor 119 which operates levers 115, 116 to throw the flipper arms inwardly to fold the sleeves. Button 136 is held down and when the piston of motor 119 moves below the outlet to a conduit 141, air is admitted to the upper end of motor 70 to operate the chains 50, 51. Wing 33 moves inwardly through 180 degrees, when continued movement of chain 50 causes the arm 35 and wing 33 to turn together about shaft 64. Wing 34 does not move until contacted by finger 62, after wing 33 has advanced 90 degrees. When wing 34 contacts arm 36, they rotate together about shaft 57 and are both vertical when wing 33 and arm 35 reach their final position on top of plate member 37. At this stage the short leg 79a protruding from link 73 is intercepted by the trip 82 so that the piston rod 76 can complete the folding of wing 34 and arm 36 without further advance of chain 50. The operator now releases button 136 so that motors 119, 124, 125 exhaust through an outlet 135a in valve 135 and the pistons in the three motors are returned by springs to the positions shown in Fig. 17. A paper band from a slot 47 is fastened around the folded shirt and the pedal 27 pressed to contract the collar form and release the latch on lever 108. Spring 112 then swings the frame 56 and folding assembly to the broken line position (Fig. 1) when the shirt can be removed leaving the apparatus ready for the next cycle. Interlocking means. When wing 34 is rotated, an arm 85 (Fig. 2) pivoted at 86 rides along a curved cam finger 89 Fig. 9, (not shown) under the influence of a spring 88 and clips into a notch in the hub block of sprocket 60 so as positively to connect wing 34 with sprocket 60 for movement therewith in either direction. Interlock means are also provided to prevent movement of arms 35, 36 until wings 33, 34 have moved through 180 degrees into contact therewith Fig. 7, (not shown). Further, pins 104, 106 on wings 33, 34 respectively co-operate with a slotted interlock 103 on stub shaft 64, and a bracket 105 on plate member 37 respectively so as to lock the wings and arms together during the folding operation. Specification 693,935 is referred to.